An ongoing trend in nursing is further tapping nurses' brain power to advance bedside care. More and more universities are reflecting the increasing demand for advanced practice nurses in all settings. Columbia University, New York, is one of them; Drexel University, Philadelphia is another.

In 2005, Drexel admitted its first class of 11 into a 3-year doctorate in nursing practice (DrNP) program, a hybrid degree combining professional practice with practical discipline-specific, evidenced-based clinical scholarship. DrNP graduates, from educators to clinicians and executives, are prepared to use practical research skills to examine common clinical, educational or health systems problems they face in their practice. Students come as far away as Virginia and New York 1 day a week to attend classes from 2:30-8:30 p.m.

DrNP students say they want to devote 75 percent of their careers to practice, education, or executive management and 25 percent of their careers generating evidence for the discipline.

Because the DrNP degree combines practice and clinical research, it is likely more hospitals and institutions will seek these kinds of graduates to advance care, said H. Michael Dreher, DNSc, RN, associate professor and director of Doctoral Nursing Programs at Drexel.

"Magnet hospitals are interested in hiring strong clinicians with the doctorate who can facilitate the conduct of research - not just evaluate it," he told ADVANCE.

Because the DrNP graduate obtains clinical research skills in the program, Dreher believes it gives them an edge over DNP graduates, who typically forgo a clinical dissertation. "I think our graduates are going to be in incredible demand by the marketplace and I have had Magnet recruiters actually call me and tell me so."

As a special bonus to our online readers, ADVANCE offers the remainder of the interview with Dreher in its entirety:

ADVANCE: Why did Drexel design the DrNP program? What is it modeled after?

Dreher: The design of the Drexel DrNP program actually began in the summer of 2000. Our first thoughts were that it would be ludicrous to design a doctorate that would require the fully employed APN to attend 3-4 years of fulltime PhD study (unless the APN wanted to become a nurse scientist). But how many APNs can afford that and also afford to lose their clinical skills? It currently takes a nurse an average 8.3 years post-MSN (!) to earn a PhD and we just thought there had to be a better way for the APN to maintain clinical practice and pursue a doctorate.

We really wanted to create a doctor of nursing practice degree, but we also did not like the only DNP model that existed at that time at the University of Kentucky. Their DNP did not have a clinical dissertation and we were worried that a completely non-research doctorate would be less prestigious and perhaps become a glorified Master's degree. We also thought having a completely non-research doctorate would close some career doors to the DNP graduate and it will. So we developed the first hybrid doctor of nursing practice in the country - the clinical research DrNP.

Actually it is quite surprising to us that anyone would think of our degree as 'unusual.' Many health professions disciplines have a hybrid practice doctorate that combines professional practice with practical discipline-specific, evidenced-based generating clinical scholarship. I can give you four health degrees that are very similar to ours and from which we modeled our degree after - the Doctor of Social Work - DSW; the Doctor of Psychology - PsyD; the Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy - DScPT; and the Doctor of Public Health - DrPH. Everyone one of these degrees is a hybrid practice doctorate and they all require a clinical practice dissertation.

ADVANCE: How does this kind of programs advance the profession of nursing?

Dreher: We think our practice doctorate is the perfect way for the advanced practice nurse to advance the profession of nursing. Our students generally tell us that when they graduate they want to devote 75 percent of their careers to either practice, education, or executive management and spend 25 percent of their careers generating evidence for the discipline. We think this is the perfect mix of practice and scholarship. Magnet hospitals are interested in hiring strong clinicians with the doctorate who can facilitate the conduct of research - not just evaluate it. This is where the Drexel DrNP graduate has the clear edge over the DNP graduate who does not obtain clinical research skills in their program.